PUNXSUTAWNEY Bill Cooper said he doesnt care if 10 people or 10,000 people show up to see the worlds most famous groundhog early Sunday morning. Either way, hell be there, like hes been there every year for the last quarter century.

We do this for the fun of it, the emeritus president of the Inner Circle said. Groundhog Day doesnt continue because its the most sound meteorological weather forecast. Groundhog Day continues because its fun.

Cooper, who now serves as a volunteer in the Groundhog Clubs downtown headquarters, is one of hundreds of volunteers gearing up for Sunday the biggest event of the year for sleepy Punxsutawney..

You know how the story goes: Punxsutawney Phil, surrounded by members of his inner circle dressed in top hats and tuxedoes, will ascend out of his burrow early on the morning of Feb. 2. If he doesnt see his shadow, the groundhog will use his groundhogese to prognosticate that spring is right around the corner.

But if the oversized rodent sees his shadow? Hell get scared and scurry back into his burrow, signaling six more weeks of winter.

In this western Pennsylvania town of 5,564, the locals say you either have the Groundhog Day gene, or you dont. As of Saturday afternoon, thousands of soon-to-be rodent witnesses began flowing into the town thats been a little soggy since earlier in the day.

On Saturday morning, crews were working at Gobblers Knob to blow hay onto the entire area over top of the ice to cut down on the slipperiness at the Knob. Others were stringing lights, hanging signs and plowing snow out of the parking lots.

Inner Circle President Bill Deeley, a member of the Inner Circle since 1986, said workers had been preparing the grounds at Gobblers Knob since 4 a.m. Saturday morning, and will work through until late Saturday night.

Deeley said he expects about 30,000 people to show up for the big moment, but said its hard to say how many would-be witnesses will elect to stay inside if the rain and snow continues into the wee hours of Sunday morning. During last years Groundhog Day celebration, Inner Circle members told PennLive that
about 30,000 people were present
.

Thats lower than the 35,000-person record that was set several years back.

Cooper added that its difficult to pinpoint exactly how many people are present at the event, since its totally open and tickets arent sold.

Groundhog Day is a lot like your funeral, he said. The number of people that show up really depends on the day of the week and the weather.

Inner Circle Vice President and Fair Weatherman Jeff Lundy said preparations for the massive event started on February 3 (of last year). He also noted that the Groundhog Club has one paid employee everyone else, including the inner circle, the Gobblers Knob groundskeepers and the headquarters staffers, are all working on a volunteer basis.

Pennsylvania State Police are also blanketing the town and will secure the area before the event early Sunday morning.

And while Inner Circle President Deeley said hes looking forward to Feb. 3, he said theres nothing more fun for him than the once-a-year weather prognostication from his friend Phil.